Electronic stereoscopic 3D visualization tools have been available since the early 1980's and have allowed the generation and display of stereo 3D images in computer equipment when displayed on CRT monitors. Using a combination of CRT monitors and liquid crystal shutter glasses (LC glasses), an end user is allowed to view a stereo 3D image by displaying a time sequential video stream on the CRT in sync with the LC glasses that only allow the user to view the left image with their corresponding left eye and the right image with the corresponding right eye.
This method of displaying stereo 3D images takes advantage of the fast impulse display properties of the CRT monitor. While the CRT monitor has served the PC industry well for over two decades and is known about to be fully replaced by flat screen technologies that allow lower power consumption and a truly digital display format to be exploited, mainly by LCD and Plasma monitors.
However the benefits of lower power consumption and digital formats do not have the same characteristics that a CRT presents for displaying Stereo 3D images. The main difference between a CRT and an LCD image display schemes is that the CRT displays a progressive raster scan that only has an image persistence of the phosphor being impacted by the electron beam. In other words each pixel of every image frame is only visible to the viewer for a few milliseconds (typically between 3 to 4 ms).
An LCD monitor on the other hand displays images on a sequential line by line basis, and because it is a digital device, the image pixel is displayed with a “sample and hold” approach. This means that it displays the information during the complete frame display time span.
Unfortunately for stereo 3D imaging, this sample and hold technique causes crosstalk because information belonging to the left eye is displayed while right eye image information is being refreshed and vice versa.
Another important factor to consider for stereo 3D visualization is display response time. A CRT because of the fast response time of a phosphor can display easily over 120 frames per second.
In the same manner, liquid crystal devices (say a single LCD pixel) can have fast turn on and turn off response times. But, because of how LCD monitors are addressed and controlled by their drive signals usually LCD monitors usually present very slow frame rates (up to only 60 frames per second). This causes significant flicker when attempting to view stereo 3D frame sequential images. To date, only a Stereo-Mirror display that uses two LCD panels is considered acceptable, with great reservations.